Time to change filter sand, thinking of going glass.

[rwrogers11]

I apologize if this is in the wrong section.

I'm thinking of switching out my sand for crushed glass. I used to be in the media blasting business and have access to crushed glass in a variety of screen sizes, 10/20, 20/40, 40/70.

1. would you recommend switching to glass as a filter?
2. would normal crushed glass work, or do I need to buy pool crushed glass?
3. If normal crushed glass will work, what size would you recommend?
4. Do I need to leave pea gravel in the bottom, covering up the laterals?
5. How much glass do I put in? I've heard the same weight as sand and I've heard 1/2 the weight.

 

[ajw22]

Welcome to TFP.

@Costas > DownUnder may have some thoughts.

What about Glass Filter Media?

Moved from here. I also want to know more about Glass Media and what is a good sand filter housing to use it with: I have a DE Filter last 6 years. It takes a lot of maintenance and I backwash a lot. It is now dumping DE in the pool. I have a 30,000 gal pool. Backwashing is easy but does use...

www.troublefreepool.com

Glass Filter Media - Vitroclean, Filterglass, etc..

Hello, I need to change my filter media and am considering going to crushed glass media. I have read about Vitroclean and Filterglass, and am interested in these as we do a lot of night swimming, and they publish filtration down to 5 microns. The only thing that keeps me from jumping in with...

www.troublefreepool.com

Glass Filter Media

Hello, I am replacing the laterals in my Tagelus 100 filter this spring. I am contemplating possibly switching over to glass media (Maytronics Activate). Can anyone here share their experience or expertise with glass media? Does it work? Is it worth it? Thank you in advance.

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Costas > DownUnder]

Hi Richard,

For sure glass media works well for many people. It supposedly has various benefits over sand but I have not seen any examples where people have done a verified A Vs B comparison to prove one way or the other...

If you can obtain glass media on the cheap then that is a bonus.

The product I use is simply manufactured from recycled glass - nothing overly fancy here.

Sizing wise - I will refer you to a product sheet for the glass media that I am using. Two sizes are used and are commonly referred to as coarse and fine media. http://www.australpool.com.au/uploaded/files/client_added/Astral/Astral Brochure/GLASS MEDIA web.pdf

The coarse glass is placed first into the filter which acts and provides the same function as 'pea gravel' - You then add the fine media on top which constitutes the majority of your fill.

For my filter - the nominal load if using sand is 200Kg however with glass it is 180Kg - so you save a bag or two of media if using glass.

Utilising re-cycled glass for pool filtration is quite popular Downunder with one of the marketing benefits being less back-washing requirement needs (ie saving water) for the pool - In my case I just went for the proven option of using an oversized filter for my pool....

 

[duraleigh]

Welcome to the forum

I'm thinking of switching out my sand for crushed glass.

TFP almost never suggests changing sand unless there is something demonstrably wrong with it and it cannot be cleaned and re-used. Tell us why you think it needs changing.

 

[rwrogers11]

Welcome to the forum TFP almost never suggests changing sand unless there is something demonstrably wrong with it and it cannot be cleaned and re-used. Tell us why you think it needs changing.

Well I have several factors, 1. The sand is about 5 to 6 years old now, and not filtering as much as it used to. I keep having to had DE to it, if I don't, then it won't filter anything. 2. And probably more relevant, I'm going to pull my filter out and pour a concrete slab to put it on, instead of just sitting in the dirt and weeds. Since it would be easier to move when empty, I thought it would be a good time to either replace the sand with sand or with glass.

 

[wogster]

You could also remove the sand, give it a good cleaning, then put the same sand back into the filter, once your slab has cured sufficiently. Unless someone has used magic potions in the pool and gummed up the sand, sand should be fine to filter, with a cleaning every few years for many times the life span of the filter unit itself.

 

[Flying Tivo]

Like someone said before, Sand is more than a billion years old, you probably have channeling in your sand filter. Since you are moving it, i would clean it at the same time and reuse.

 

[ajw22]

Like someone said before, Sand is more than a billion years old, you probably have channeling in your sand filter. Since you are moving it, i would clean it at the same time and reuse.

Sand Filter Use and Care - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[rwrogers11]

Like someone said before, Sand is more than a billion years old, you probably have channeling in your sand filter. Since you are moving it, i would clean it at the same time and reuse.

Well my water is expired as well.... Yeah I was thinking it may just be channeling. The water just stays cloudy, even when testing, everything looks good but its cloudy. I add some DE and it clears up, but then I have to do that each time I backwash.

I'll try just pulling it out, cleaning it and reusing it.

 

[ajw22]

Well my water is expired as well....

Water does not "expire".

 

[duraleigh]

I encourage you to keep reading on this forum. Most ALL clarity problems start with poor water chemistry.....not poor filtration.

 

[cfherrman]

You probably just low on sand

 

[wogster]

Well my water is expired as well.... Yeah I was thinking it may just be channeling. The water just stays cloudy, even when testing, everything looks good but its cloudy. I add some DE and it clears up, but then I have to do that each time I backwash.

I'll try just pulling it out, cleaning it and reusing it.

The first thing to consider with cloudy water, is that algae is starting, but isn't prevalent enough to cause it to green yet. You should probably start with an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test, once the sun has set do a test for FC, record the number; do another test just before sunrise, if the FC has dropped, something in your water is consuming it, the most common is algae; you can start a SLAM and get your water back into proper shape. If your shutting your pump down for several days to build a concrete pad, you may want to put that off until after the SLAM is completed. Personally , I think the best, is to disconnect the pump, drain the water out, pull the top off, scoop out the sand. Dig an area about 15cm (6") deep and at least 30cm (1 foot) around the equipment; put a nice edging around, you can use plastic or pressure treated wood, line with landscape fabric to keep the weeds out, and fill with crushed stone. You get the advantage of it not getting muddy, without losing the benefit of good drainage. Once it's done, you can place the filter back on top, fill with the sand, making sure it's nice and loose. Follow the manufacturers directions, some require that you fill the tank with water first.